Fitting for automatic sprinklers.



WH; messes No. 826,611. PATBNTED JULY 24, 1906. G. I. ROCKWOOD.

FITTING FOR AUTOMATIC SPRINKLERS. APPLIOATION FILED 001:. 131 1905.

. 2 BTW.

UNITED STATES PATENT orrron.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 24, 1906.

Application filed October 13, 1905. Serial No. 282,668-

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, GEORGE I. RooKwoon, a citizen of the United States, residing at Worcester, in the county of Worcester and Commonwealth of Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful Im rovement in Fittings for Automatic Sprin ers, of which the f0 lowing is a specification containing a full, exact, and clear description of my improvement.

The objects of my present invention are to provide means for regulatin the pressure of water at the nozzle of a spr' filer relatively to the water-pressure in the water-supplypipe, whereby a uniform pressure may be secured at each of a series of nozzles connected with a common supplypipe, and to provide means for securing the equal distribution of water at the difiuser of an automatic sprinkler, and

I accomplish these objects by means of a novel fitting or T between the nozzle of an automatic sprinkler and the main line of wateripe by which water is suppliedto the sprin er, as hereinafter described, and pointed out in the annexed claims.

In the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification, Figure 1 represents a Tembodying my improvement, shown in central longitudinal sectional view; and Fig. 2 represents a similar T embodying my improvement, shown in central longitudmal sectional view, but having a modified form of waterway.

Similar reference letters and figures refer to similar parts in the diflerent views.

Referring to Fig. 1, A denotes a pipe-fitting known as a T and having a screwthreaded opening 1 to receive an inlet watersupply pipe 2, a screw-threaded opening 3 to receive an outlet water-pipe 4 of smaller diameter than the pipe 2, said ipes 2 and 4 forming parts of acontinuous iine of ipe to which two or more automatic sprinkl ers are connected. The T A also contains a screwthreaded opening 5 to receive the nozzle of an automatic sprinkler, such as that shown at 6, Fi 2, through which a stream of water is force against an inverted-cup-shaped diffuser 7 inorder to produce an evenlydistributed spray of water.

In an automatic-sprinkler system comprisin an automatic s rinkler provided with a di p user to receive the impact of a stream of water from a water-sup 1y pipe the character of the s ray and the e ciency of the sprinkler in the case of fire depends in some degree upon the character of the stream which is delivered against the difiuser. This stream in general should partake of the shape of a symmetrical inverted cone having its axis coincident with the axis of the diffuser and having substantially a uniform force throughout the entire peri hery of the stream, which should be directe against a properly-shaped diffuser placed at the proper distance from the delivery-nozzle to cause the stream of water to be evenly and widely distributed in a spray consisting of drops or globules of water, and this result must be secured regardless of a variation in the pressure of the waterin the supplypipe. As the result of experiment I accomplish this object by means of a peculiar fitting interposed between the sprinkler and the water-supply pipe, as hereinafter described.

In installing an automatic-sprinkler system the supply-pipe 2 connects the T with a source of water-supply and the pipe 4 leads from the T A to the next succeeding T and is preferably of less diameter than the pipe 2. Between the ends of the pi es 2 and 4 is a chamber 8, inclosed within t e T, and to which water is supplied by the pipe 2 and from which water is discharged to the next succeeding sprinkler through the pe 4. The screw-threaded opening 5, in W ch the nozzle of the sprinkler is held, communicates with a water-pipe 9, inclosed within a wall 10 and having a diaphragm 10f at its receiving end, but communicating wlth the chamber 8 through an opening 11, sald opening 11 being of less diameter than the (hameter of the waterway 9. The opemng 11' is formed in the inclosed wall of the waterway 9 upon the side opposite the supplyp1pe 2, so that the stream of water in (pass ng through the line of main pipe forms of the sections 2 and 4 and moving in the direction of the arrow 12 is obliged to turn back upon itself in passing throu h the opening 11 into the waterway 9, there y produclnga regurgitation of the stream of water passing from the chamber 8 into the waterway 9, and as the diameter of the opening 11 is less than the diameter of the waterway 9 a sudden expansion of the stream of water as 1t passes through the opening 11 takes place as it enters the waterwa 9. The axis of the opening 11 is at rig t angles to-the axls of the opening 5, so t at the axis of the intervening waterway 9 is oblique to both the o enings 5 and 11 and is preferabl curved, a though I do not confine myse t0 the IIO curved form of waterway 9. The obliquity of the axis of the waterway 9, however, de-

flects the stream of water or changes its line of movement approximately ninety de rees before it reaches the nozzle of the sprinIiler. In delivering water, therefore, from the chamber 8 to the nozzle of the sprinkler I produce, first, a regurgitation of the stream of Water as it leaves the chamber 8; second, an expansion of the stream of water as it is delivered through the opening 11 into the waterway 9, and, third, a deflection of the stream through the oblique waterway 9 as it is delivered to the nozzle of the sprinkler. I have found by practice that these three functions of my improved fittin are factors in producing the desire d spray when the stream of water reaches the diffuser 7,, and, furthermore, that this form of construction secures a more even distribution of water at the diffuser.

By referring to Fig. 1 it will be seen that the curved wall 10, inclosing the waterway 9, projects into the direct stream of water between the pipes 2 and 4, so that the stream of water in passing from pipe 2 to pipe 4 is not only contracted between the curved wall 10 and the lower wall 13 of the T, but that a slight deflection of the stream of water takes place as it passes from the pipe 2 to the pipe 4 notwithstanding that the axis of the pipe 4 is substantially coincident with the axis of the pipe 2.

In Fig. 2 I have shown a T B in which the lower wall 14 of the T is curved more than the wall 13 of the T A and the axis of the discharge-pipe 15 is not coincident with the axis of the receiving-pipe 16, but is raised toward the nozzle-opening 17, so that the pipe 15 overlaps the opening 18, leading to the oblique wate'rway 19. By this modification the stream of water passing from the receiving-pipe 16 in the direction of the arrow 20 is deflected upward by the curved wall 14 in the direction of the arrow 21 into the space 22, whereby the pressure of the stream passing through the opening 18 is increased relatively to the pressure of the stream passing through the discharge-pipe 15.

In the form shown in Fig. 1 the deflection of the direct stream ofwater through the pipes 2 and 4 is slight, so that the pressure of the water passing through the dischargeipe 4 is relatively greater than the pressure 0 the st ream passing t hrongh the opening 11, whereas in Fig. 2 the stream of water is subjected to a greater deflection, which increases the pressure of the stream passing through the opening 18 relatively to that passing through the (lisehargepipe 15. The stream of water in passing through a long line of pipe having a series of sprinklers attached thereto has its "pressure gradually reduced, so that the pressure in the water-supply pipe at the last sprinkler in the series is considerably less than the pressure of water-supply at the.

first sprinkler in the series; but by increasing the deflection of water at each succeeding T thewater-pressure at each succeeding sprinkler is applied at a relatively increased force at the nozzle, thereby tending to equalize the pressure of water discharged through the nozzle of each sprinkler in the series.

In the form shown in Fig. 2 the shell B has not only its lower wall 14 curved more than the corresponding wall 13, but the curved wall 23 of the waterway 19 is projected. farther into the chamber 24, overlapping the mouth of the water-supply pipe and causing a deflection of the current of water, as shown by the arrow 21.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent. is

1. In an automatic-sprinkler system, the combination with an automatic sprinkler and a supply-pipe, of a fittin connectt'ung said supply-pipe and said sprin ler, comprising a shell inclosing a water-chamber having inlet and outlet openings for a current of water through said chamber, a nozzle for ansautomatic sprinkler, a waterway between said chamber and said nozzle having its axis cblique to the axis of said nozzle, and arranged to receive water upon the side of said waterchamber opposite its inlet-opening.

2. In an automatic-sprinkler system, the combination with an automatic sprinkler and a water-supply pipe, of a fitting connecting said supply-pipe and said sprinkler, comprising a shell inclosing a water-chamber, having inlet and .outlet openings for a current of water through said chamber, and a nozzle-opening for an automatic sprinkler. a waterway between said chamber and said nozzle-opening arranged obliquely to the axis of the nozzle-opening and having at its receiving :end a diaphragm provided with a central op a; of less diameter than the diameter of saii waterway.

3. In an automatic-sprinkler system, the combination with an automatic sprinkler and a water-supply pipe, of a fitting connecting said sprinkler and said supply-pipe, comprising a shell inclosing a water-chamber having inlet and outlet openings for a current of Water through said chamber, and a nozzle-opening for an automatic sprinkler, a waterway between said nozzle-opening and said chamber and arranged obliquely to the axis of said nozzle-opening, a diaphragm at the receiving end of said waterway having a central open ing of less diameter than the diameter of said waterway.

4. In an automatic-sprinkler system, the combination with a water-supply pipe and an automatic sprinkler, comprising a diffuser to receive the impact of a stream of water, of a fitting connecting said sprinkler and said supply-pipe, comprising a shell inclosing a Water-chamber having. an inlet-opening for the admission of water, and a nozzle-opening to deliver Water to said diffuser, a Curved Wawater to an automatic sprinkler, a curved terway leading to said nozzle-openin and a waterway leading from said water-chamber diaphragm at the receiving end of said Waterto said nozzle-opening and a diaphragm at Way, having an opening of less diameter than the receiving end of said Waterway having an 5 the diameter of said Waterway, opening of less diameter than the diameter of I 5 51 As an article of manufacture, a fitting said waterway. for an automatic-sprinkler system, compris- GEORGE I. ROCKWOOD. ing a shell inclosing a Water-chamber and Witnesses: having an inlet-opening to admit water to PENELOPE COMBERBAOH, a said chamber and a nozzle-opening to deliver RUFUS B. FOWLER. 

